[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 9, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1265-1266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-558]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Preparation of Environmental Impact Statement for Transit 
Improvements in the Southeast-Universities-Hobby Corridor Extending 
from Downtown Houston, Harris County to the Vicinity of Hobby Airport 
in Southeast Harris County, Texas

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with 
the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO), intends to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to evaluate transportation 
improvements in the Houston metropolitan area (Harris County).
    The EIS will evaluate the following transit alternatives: a No 
Build Alternative, consisting of already planned improvements to the 
corridor, and a Build Alternative, consisting of a wide range of 
transit improvements. The type, location, and need for ancillary 
facilities, such as maintenance facilities, will also be considered for 
each alternative. Scoping will be accomplished with a series of public 
meetings, and through correspondence with interested persons, 
organizations, and Federal, State and local agencies.
    Depending on the outcome of the scoping process and the analysis of 
a wide range of transit alternatives, a Locally Preferred Investment 
Strategy (LPIS) will be selected and evaluated in the EIS. The EIS will 
evaluate the potential impacts of the selected investment strategy (the 
Build Alternative) and a No Build Alternative.
    The sequence of events for the planning and development for this 
project include the following major milestones:
     Scoping Process--early opportunity for public input to the 
study scope and project alternatives. Scoping will be accomplished with 
a series of public meetings, and through correspondence with interested 
persons, organizations, and Federal, State and local agencies.
     Planning Studies--evaluation of proposed improvement 
alternatives, early consideration of environmental factors, concluding 
with the selection of a LPIS.
     Conceptual Engineering and Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS)--conceptual definition of the alternatives to be 
evaluated including their physical features and potential impacts, 
consideration of mitigation measures, preparation and circulation of 
the Draft EIS, and public hearing(s).
     Preliminary Engineering and Final EIS--detailed definition 
of the proposed alternative's physical features, assessment of 
potential impacts, development of selected mitigation measures, 
responses to comments offered during the Draft EIS comment period, and 
preparation of the Final EIS.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts considered should be sent to the Metropolitan Transit 
Authority of Harris County by March 15, 2002. See ADDRESSES below.
    Scoping Meetings: Public Scoping meetings for the Southeast-
Universities-Hobby Corridor will be held on February 19th, February 
21st and February 27th, 2002. See ADDRESSES below for meeting times and 
locations.
    All of the scoping meetings will be held in wheelchair-accessible 
locations. Any person who requires language interpretation or special 
communication accommodations is encouraged to contact the project's 
public participation coordinator at 713-739-6049 at least 72 hours 
prior to the meeting. Every reasonable effort will be made to meet your 
needs. Scoping information material will be available at the meetings 
and may also be obtained in advance of the meetings by contacting the 
public participation coordination or by contacting METRO at the address 
or e-mail identified in ADDRESSES below. Oral and written comments may 
be given at the scoping meetings. A court reporter will record all 
comments.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to METRO Mobility 2025, Room 
21034, PO Box 61429, Houston, Texas 77208-1429. E-mail: [email protected]. Scoping meetings will be held at the 
following locations:

1. February 19, 2002, Jesse H. Jones Senior High School, 7414 St. Lo, 
Houston, Texas 77033, 5:00-8:00 p.m. Open House, 6:30 p.m. 
Presentation.
2. February 21, 2002, Texas Southern University, School of Technology 
Atrium, 3100 Cleburne Avenue, Houston, Texas 77004, 5:00-8:00 p.m. Open 
House, 6:30 p.m. Presentation.
3. February 27, 2002, Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons 
Lane--2nd Floor, Houston, Texas 77027, 3:00-5:00 p.m. Agency Scoping 
Meeting, Conference Room A, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Open House, Conference Room 
B.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jesse Balleza, Community Planner, 
FTA, Region VI, 819 Taylor Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76102, Telephone 
(817) 978-0550.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    FTA and METRO invite all interested individuals and organizations, 
and Federal, State, regional, and local agencies to participate in 
defining the alternatives to be evaluated and identifying social, 
economic, or environmental issues related to the alternatives. During 
scoping, comments should focus on identifying specific social, 
economic, or environmental impacts to be evaluated, and suggesting 
alternatives that may be less costly or have less adverse environmental 
impacts, but achieve similar objectives. Comments during scoping should 
focus on the issues and alternatives for analysis, and not on a 
preference for a particular alternative. Individual preference for a 
particular alternative should be communicated through the planning 
process or during the comment period for the Alternatives Analysis 
Report.
    Prior to initiating the EIS, planning studies will identify a LPIS 
that includes transit improvements. Interested individuals, 
organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies are invited to 
participate in refining the purpose, alternatives, schedule, and 
analysis approach, as well as participate in the active public 
involvement program throughout the planning process and project 
implementation. The public is invited to comment on corridor needs and 
alternatives to be addressed; modes and technologies to be evaluated; 
alignments and station-capital facility locations; the environmental, 
social, and economic

[[Page 1266]]

impacts to be analyzed; and the evaluation approach to be used to 
select a LPIS. The scoping process will provide input to the process to 
be used for the evaluation of alternatives during the planning process 
and the early identification of environmental issues to be considered 
during the planning studies and in the EIS.
    Scoping activities are being initiated at the outset of the 
planning studies, in advance of the EIS, to maximize the opportunity 
for public involvement in the consideration of alternatives and 
reaching decisions about the transportation investments that will be 
advanced into the EIS phase of project development.

II. Description of the Project Area and Need

    Planning studies for the Southeast-Universities-Hobby Corridor will 
be initiated in a broadly defined area in Harris County, Texas. The 
planning area is defined to include part of downtown Houston, extending 
eastward and then to the southeast, generally bounded by IH 45 on the 
east, and SH 288 and Almeda Road on the west. The Southeast-
Universities-Hobby Corridor includes the Third Ward, the convention 
center, Enron Field (home of the Houston Astros), the Texas Southern 
University (TSU) and University of Houston (UH) campuses, communities 
to the south, and Hobby Airport. The southern boundary is inside 
Beltway 8.
    The corridor is significantly more densely developed than the City 
of Houston as a whole. Southeast Houston has a large transit dependent 
population, with lower average household income and car ownership and 
higher percentages of elderly and disabled persons than citywide. 
Transit (bus) ridership in the corridor is strong, but there are no 
high capacity transit facilities in the corridor. ``Super-stops'' have 
been proposed at the University of Houston and Texas Southern 
University.
    New development and redevelopment is occurring along this corridor 
and is expected to generate further increases in demand for transit 
services. The universities are growing in enrollment. Hobby Airport is 
a significant employment center, as are TSU and UH. Outside this 
corridor, Downtown and the Texas Medical Center are the nearest major 
activity centers. There is a recognized demand linkage between the 
corridor and Houston's Midtown area and the Uptown-West Loop area to 
the west.

III. Alternatives

    In accordance with NEPA, a public scoping process will be initiated 
to identify corridor needs and alternatives. The scoping process will 
provide the basis for the evaluation of alternatives as part of the 
planning studies, and the selection of a LPIS and implementation 
program. The planning studies will consider a variety of transit 
options in the corridor based on input received during the scoping 
process. It is expected that the LPIS will be a combination of one or 
more alternative options identified. Subsequent to the selection of the 
LPIS, the selected alternatives will be refined and documented in the 
EIS. At a minimum, the alternatives to be considered in the planning 
studies include:
     No Build Alternative;
     Light Rail Transit (LRT);
     Bus Rapid Transit;
     Commuter Rail along existing railroad facilities in the 
corridor; and
     HOV system improvements.
    Additional reasonable Build Alternatives suggested during the 
scoping process, including those involving other modes, may be 
considered.

IV. Probable Effects and Potential Impacts for Analysis

    FTA and METRO will evaluate all social, economic and environmental 
impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the EIS. Impacts may include: 
land use, zoning, and economic development; secondary development; 
cumulative impacts; land acquisition, displacements, and relocation of 
existing uses; historic, archaeological, and cultural resources; 
parklands and recreation areas; visual and aesthetic qualities; 
neighborhoods and communities; environmental justice; air quality; 
noise and vibration; hazardous materials; ecosystems; water resources; 
energy; construction impacts; safety and security; utilities; finance; 
and transportation impacts. The impacts will be evaluated both for the 
construction period and for the long-term period of operation of each 
alternative. Measures to mitigate adverse impacts will be identified.

V. FTA Procedures

    In accordance with FTA policy, all federal laws, regulations and 
executive orders affecting project development, including but not 
limited to the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality and 
FTA implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508 and 23 CFR part 771), the 
1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, section 404 of the Clean Water Act, 
Executive Order 12898 regarding environmental justice, the National 
Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered Species Act, and section 4(f) 
of the Department of Transportation Act, will be addressed to the 
maximum extent practicable during the NEPA process.

    Issued on: January 2, 2002.
Robert C. Patrick,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Region VI, Fort 
Worth, Texas.
[FR Doc. 02-558 Filed 1-8-02; 8:45 am]
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